LIFE IS A TEST

(PT 2 SHORTENED)

Every person that has ever existed has sinned and come short of the glory of God-Ro 3:23.

Without exception, God is not willing that any should perish-2 Pe 3:9.

However, people are given a choice. Almost all choose to follow this world, or their religion, or their individual beliefs, and take their chances later, rather than submitting to Jesus-ref Mt 7:14.

Life is a test. From Adam and Eve to you, life is and has been a test to determine if you will believe God’s Word or not-Jn 10:38; Acts 28:24

It is a test to see if you will admit you are a sinner, repent, and receive Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation. Only through the blood of Jesus can your sins be forgiven-1 Jn 1:7. No one can earn their way into heaven, for there is none righteous, no not one-Ro 3:10.

Life is a test to see if you fear God-Ps 89:7. Some of the most rebellious, prideful, stubborn, self-centered people in the world have humbled themselves and repented and are now in heaven, while some of the nicest, most giving people in the world are in hell, because they would not obey God’s Word.

All that fail this test will go to a place called hell, where the rich man of Luke chapter 16 is. Billions of people are there being tormented, until the Great White Throne Judgment is held. There the final judgment takes place. Afterward, they are cast into the eternal lake of fire, where they shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever. However, it appears from the Scriptures that they will see the glory of God and what they could have had, before being cast into the lake of fire, and that memory may haunt them for time without end. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God-Heb 10:31.

No one has any excuse, for it is written: Ro 1:20-FOR THE INVISIBLE THINGS OF HIM FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD ARE CLEARLY SEEN, BEING UNDERSTOOD BY THE THINGS THAT ARE MADE, EVEN HIS ETERNAL POWER AND GODHEAD; SO THAT THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE.

Most of the billions that are now in hell never believed they would be there, being tormented day and night. If they would have understood this, they should have repented-Lk 16. You that are now hearing this message have this knowledge before it is too late. Will this message torment you for eternity, because you knew these things beforehand, yet repented not? Life is a test.

WHAT CAN A BORN AGAIN PERSON EXPECT?

Beware, there is a battle ahead. It is a war and a struggle that you must win. Studying God’s Word, not a little, is the key, coupled with obedience and a Christ-like attitude. Faith and knowledge of God’s Word helps you overcome Satan’s schemes and deceptions. It is essential that you be soft toward correction from your born again preacher, whom God has put over you, and that you love the brethren.

When you are born again, some people that love you may think you are crazy. Wives may turn against husbands and vice versa. Your relatives, and even your children may try to turn you back from following Jesus. You may have no where to live, no money, no job, and may be falsely accused. Will you still trust in Jesus? Life is a test.

Persecutions, sufferings, problems and the unexpected lie ahead. There is a war to be fought against all sorts of temptations, your pride, lusts, cares of this life, pleasures, riches, your own desires, and wrong thinking. Your trust in God and obedience to His Word will be tested under all sorts of conditions-ref 1 Pe 1:7.

There will be times you may feel like you are being torn apart. It is as if a rope is attached to each of your arms pulling you in opposite directions. One is pulling you toward Jesus and God’s will, while the other is pulling you away.

Most people that come to Jesus do not realize the intense fight that lies ahead in their thoughts, and few preachers teach it; even though many of the Epistles address this very subject in detail. Satan can be expected to use tactics against you that will catch you off guard, and you may not even recognize what is happening. Satan will try to get you to return to the way you were before you repented. It often starts with just a little sin. Our biggest battle is with our self, including our fears, our doubts, our desires, our plans, and things we love, perhaps as much as Jesus—God forbid. 1 Jn 2:15-LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD. IF ANY MAN LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM.

The more we deny ourself and pick up our cross and follow Jesus as God commands, the more successful we should be resisting Satan’s temptations. We are to fight the good fight of faith-1 Tim 6:12. Looking back is a tool Satan uses. Our past hurts and rejections can all of a sudden pop up in our thoughts and hinder our understanding of God’s Word. 1 Cor 10:13-THERE HATH NO TEMPTATION TAKEN YOU BUT SUCH AS IS COMMON TO MAN: BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL, WHO WILL NOT SUFFER YOU TO BE TEMPTED ABOVE THAT YE ARE ABLE; BUT WILL WITH THE TEMPTATION ALSO MAKE A WAY TO ESCAPE, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO BEAR IT.

When you try to study God’s Word, all sorts of distractions may happen. People just pop in. Telephones ring. Kids interrupt you. Text messages come in—the list is almost endless. As you try to study, the dog poops on your carpet, the cats are fighting in the kitchen. You try to read your Bible, and suddenly your mind is filled with things you need to do right now.

Satan put in Eve’s mind that God did not mean what He said. Expect the same to happen to you. This world is not our home. The time spent here is but a vapor that appears and then is gone. It is our place of being tested. Our permanent home is either with Jesus or the lake of fire. Which will be your permanent home?

Eph 6:10-17-“FINALLY, MY BRETHREN, BE STRONG IN THE LORD, AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT. PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THE WILES (or devices) OF THE DEVIL. FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST
PRINCIPALITIES,
AGAINST POWERS,
AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD,
AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES.
WHEREFORE TAKE UNTO YOU THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND IN THE EVIL DAY, AND HAVING DONE ALL, TO STAND. STAND THEREFORE, HAVING YOUR LOINS GIRT ABOUT WITH TRUTH, AND HAVING ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND YOUR FEET SHOD WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.
ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH, WHEREWITH YE SHALL BE ABLE TO QUENCH ALL THE FIERY DARTS OF THE WICKED. AND TAKE THE HELMET OF SALVATION, AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD.”

The fiery darts are those overwhelming pressures you feel that tempt you to do contrary to the leading of the Spirit and God’s Word. They tempt you to sin, to go astray The fiery darts can be great fears and anxiety. They stir up your emotions. They are so strong, they are difficult to resist; but resist you must by faith. Fear God, and depart from evil.

WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT OF YOU IF YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN,
OR CONVERTED, OR IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS

It is written, 1 Pe 2:2-3-AS NEWBORN BABES, DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD, THAT YE MAY GROW THEREBY: IF SO BE YE HAVE TASTED THAT THE LORD IS GRACIOUS.

This means that if you have been born again, you absolutely, positively will have the same desire to be in God’s Word as a baby has for milk, so it can grow in faith. You cannot grow spiritually without the milk of God’s Word. If you have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, and repented, and obeyed God in water baptism that craving for God’s Word will be there.

Next you must become as a little child, humble, so that you can be corrected by God’s Word and change-ref Mt 18:3. As you are commanded to correct and discipline your children, so you as a newborn child of God will be corrected and disciplined by your heavenly Father-Pv 3:12; 22:6. For it is written: HE THAT SPARETH HIS ROD HATETH HIS SON: BUT HE THAT LOVETH HIM CHASTENETH HIM (PROMPTLY)-Pv 13:24; Heb 12:7.

You cannot grow in faith and in wisdom and knowledge of God apart from God’s Word. You have need to be in God’s Word every day faithfully, and not a little. Listen to the Bible on tapes, CDs, etc. Turn off the TV, turn off those hand-held devices, and get into God’s Word. You need to grow in the Lord.
God’s goal for you is this:
This is what John the Baptist said of himself, and it is what you must do if you follow Jesus. He said HE (which is Jesus) MUST INCREASE, BUT I MUST DECREASE-Jn 3:31.

You are called to be CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON (Jesus)-Ro 8:29.
AND BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD,
BUT BE YE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND-Ro 12:2. Your mind needs to be transformed or reprogrammed, so it eventually becomes as the mind of Christ-1 Cor 2:16.

Going to church once or twice a week is good, if it is a good Bible-teaching church; however, do not expect that to sustain you. You need to personally be in God’s Word daily, especially in these ever increasing evil latter days in which we live.

You can make all the excuses you want—“I don’t have time, I have to do this or that,” etc.

Let’s be blunt. The only place excuses will get you at the Judgment is the lake of fire. Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered-ref Heb 5:8. Now you also need to follow Him, deny yourself, learn obedience. For God’s Word tells us that only those that do the will of God the Father, which is in heaven, shall inherit eternal life-ref Mt 12:50.

God wants to change you from the inside out to be as He is.

You need to put off the old man, your old nature, your old ways, and
put on the new man which after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. The new man is renewed in knowledge after the image of (Jesus)-Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:10. If you are born again, you are a new creature…all things are become new-2 Cor 5:17.

In the past, you walked according to the ways of the world, the ways of the devil, and your conversation was in the lusts of your flesh, but now you are no longer to be conformed to this world-ref Ro 12:2. As a new person in Christ, if you have been born again, you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He will give you the power to overcome and change from the way you were. He gives you an inner strength to resist the devil and follow Jesus. That strength grows as you are in God’s Word and obey it-Ro 12:2; 1 Cor 2:12; 1 Jn 4:13.

The Bible is God speaking directly to you. This is the main way God speaks with us-ref Heb 1:2. As you grow in God’s Word and begin to have your senses exercised to understand what is good and evil, right and wrong in the eyes of God, He speaks to you by His Spirit—and the Holy Spirit will always lead you in harmony with His Word-Heb 5:14.